PSA: Clicking this URL will crash your browser and cause your device to overheat

January 25, 2016

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Whether you’re a frequent or periodic social media user, you may want to pin your ears back as we have some pretty important news for you. Recently a malicious link has been doing the rounds on Facebook and Twitter, which, when clicked, overloads the default browser on your smartphone, causing it to slow down and generate a lot of heat in the process. It goes without saying that if the bug is not dealt with promptly, your handset will continue to get hotter until it overheats and has no option other than to power down.

The website is called crashsafari.com, and although the URL suggests it’s targetted solely at Safari, it couldn’t be more misleading. It will infect just about any browser that connects to the domain and triggers it to crash within a matter of seconds. The way it works is relatively simple and doesn’t compromise any data on your hard drive. When the link is opened, the website automatically creates an endless string which populates the address bar. Consequently, the device heats up as more data is attempting to be processed.

If you do, happen to click the link. First and foremost, close your browser instantly by opening up the multitasking menu and tapping the button entitled “Close All”. Once you’ve done that, immediately turn off your device to allow it to cool down. After about half an hour, boot it back up, and you should be good to go.

Source: The Guardian

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